Poetry as Resistance: A Sociological Analysis of Mata Luka Sengkon Karta by Peri Sandi Huizche

Indonesia’s past is marked by state violence and structural injustice, often left unexamined in public discourse. Literature, particularly poetry, offers a powerful medium to revisit and critique these social wounds. This study aims to analyze Mata Luka Sengkon Karta by Peri Sandi Huizche through the lens of literary sociology, focusing on the authorial context, reader reception, and textual content to uncover embedded social values and historical narratives. Using a qualitative-descriptive method, data were collected through textual analysis and in-depth interviews with two literary readers. The study applies and slightly extends Wellek and Warren’s sociological model by examining how contemporary Indonesian poetry combines theatrical performance, ideological critique, and interpretive response. The findings reveal that the poem not only narrates the wrongful persecution of Sengkon and Karta but also reflects broader issues such as authoritarian repression, economic disparity, and ideological conflict in Indonesia’s political past. Reader responses indicate heightened awareness of historical injustice and a strengthened sense of social solidarity. The study concludes that Huizche’s work functions as a medium of resistance and moral reflection, reaffirming the relevance of literature in socio-political critique. These findings emphasize the importance of engaging poetry as a means of collective memory and transformative discourse. Theoretically, the study contributes to Indonesian literary sociology by showing how poetry can mediate both aesthetic and political resistance, reaffirming literature’s role as cultural memory and sociological critique.